The (planned) wedding day of a 31-year-old will probably remain unforgettable. For the groom, the bride and the 15 or so invited guests. However, it is doubtful whether it will be remembered fondly.
Before the couple might even say “I do” in the wedding hall of the New Linz City Hall, ten police officers abruptly interrupted the celebrations. The groom, a 31-year-old who was last seen in Linz without a permanent residence, had been arrested by the court. The man, who has a number of previous convictions for drug offenses, is accused of dealing cocaine and cannabis. The presumption of innocence applies.
Four officers from the drug squad and six from the special unit EGS, a police task force to combat street crime, arrested the man in the registry office in front of the entrance to the wedding hall. According to the police, the operation lasted no longer than 20 minutes. The groom had an “unusual wedding present,” says Clemens Lehner-Redl from the state police command to the OÖN. “Several capsules containing morphine were confiscated from him.”
Drugs sold in Linz’s Volksgarten
“During the interrogation, the accused made a comprehensive confession,” confirmed Reinhard Huemer-Steiner from the Linz public prosecutor’s office in an interview with OÖN. He has a criminal record. The man, who has no fixed address, has already spent several hours behind bars for various drug-related offenses – most recently at the end of last year for drug use.
Having just been released from prison, the man has been free since November 2023 and, according to his own statements, was already dealing drugs once more in Linz’s Volksgarten. He claims to have financed his opiate addiction in this way.
“During the interrogation, the 31-year-old revealed the names of buyers and sources of supply,” says Huemer-Steiner. Because he confessed, i.e. “made a contribution to finding the truth,” this might have a reduced sentence. Due to his previous convictions, the public prosecutor’s office says he might face up to 7.5 years in prison. The accused was taken to Linz prison.
Best man convicted of assault
Another arrest came as a surprise to the police – the best man, a 49-year-old, had also been wanted by the court for weeks. There was a warrant for his appearance from the Linz District Court. He had already been convicted of assault.
People wanted by the police are often arrested during a civil wedding. Most of the time, this involves deportation proceedings.
Author
Franziska Giles
Editor
Franziska Giles
